I have no idea how many ounces this thing is, but it’s too much, too late at night.

Pretty sure the rules of blogging say that 10:38 on a Tuesday night is the worst time to publish a post, but I’m doing this for the people. Not for whoever makes up those rules.

• How much do you spend on groceries each week? One Week of Food could put that into perspective for you.
• Very interesting essay on the manipulation and reuse of images in culture.
• The Calorie Police (Do you think the ACLU would defend my right to consume calories in whatever form I please? Just asking.) There’s a double standard here, folks.
• Micah’s post discussing “slow parenting” was eye-opening for me. It’s exactly what I hope to do someday. My parents raised us that way, to a certain extent. While it was not always on purpose (I know that much), I do appreciate that we were allowed to pursue our interests within reason and that we weren’t on the road every night of the week.
• Mango Slaw with Cashews & Mint (This is a recipe for you, Heather)
• Chagrin chagrin chagrin. Chagrin? Chagrin. CHAGRIN. Chagrin. (thanks, Rammi )
• I’m linking this post because Misti is talking about guys named Make Time and Cob.
• “Because I think the world knows just how much NBC, home of Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, among others, has been in the tank for George W. Bush for lo these many years. Their relentless cheerleading for the former president, his domestic initiatives and his foreign policy has made them a laughing-stock among serious news organizations and a network no serious-minded person would admit watching.” – The Friar

Oh, and Clare got a haircut!

If you’re my friend on Facebook, you probably saw the status update I posted last night. If you didn’t, well, add me. I’m easy to find.

A lot of people responded. Most agreed with me. The whole thing was about spelling. Spelling mistakes really annoy me. Now, you’ll have to forgive me whenever I make them because mine are usually things like…I’ll be thinking this (just an example) — “People perceived the reception to be…” and instead I will type “People perception to be…”

See? Valid. My brain is just going going going and I forget to stop and spell. People should understand my mental shorthand, right? Right.

The whole discussion reminded me of something I look at every day. It’s on my refrigerator and I took some photos about 2 years ago, intending to blog about them. Well, here you go.

It’s perfect. I would almost wear it as a badge. Maybe I should. I bought these magnets on Etsy at Nifty Stuff Made by Voz a few years back and I would highly recommend his/her/their? work. Brilliant stuff. There are a number of different magnets and stampers to fit whatever your superiority complex.

Would you rather just share a few truths about yourself? Voz has you all taken care of.

Or…maybe you’re looking for your favorite animal. That’s how I found Voz’s shop in the first place.

It’s a guinea pig!

That’s not all though. I also bought a magnet featuring one of my other favorite animals. I’ve talked about it before.

It’s kind of like a really large guinea pig, but it’s not. It’s a Capybara. And, much like the strange flavors of Sriracha that are only available in Thailand and illegal to import here, it’s just another thing I’m going to have to smuggle into the country. Apparently they have a heinous deer tick problem. Sounds like they’d love Oklahoma.

Umm…so this turned into a magnet advertisement. Sorry about that. I’ve always been one to go around my elbow to get to my thumb. I wasn’t paid. I don’t even know this person. But I love their work!

Hard to believe it’s been two years.

Our resident scamp turned 2-years-old today. The yard is still full of snow and she’s been enjoying it so much over the past week. I’m sure the (far, far) below freezing temps that we are going to get later this week won’t be welcome for the pup, so we will be bringing her inside.

Happy birthday, Clarabel!

When we bring her in for the night or just walk within a few feet of her, this is what she does. Stop. Drop. Offer tummy.

I did something to my back while bathing my dog. She’s 15 lbs. What will I do with children?

Since I didn’t have time to write the lengthy post I was planning for this morning, I’ll leave you with the following search terms that have recently led a number of individuals to this little blog. All I have to say is…that’s not available here. And that I really hope this isn’t trending and something we need to be watching out for.

edward spanking bella

(Monday Morning Coffee: Okie Blogger Edition will be posted sometime tomorrow!)

And in the garage where she sleeps. But does this little girl feel the bite of the winter chill? No way. Look at her, all cuted up.

♥ Dove soap
♥ the sound of a ceiling fan
♥ the sound the furnace makes when it kicks on in the middle of the night
♥ seeing the whites of my puppy’s eyes when she looks up at me
♥ the way she perks up when i say “kevin”
♥ men’s razors
♥ cozy living rooms
♥ paint samples
♥ the colors you find on the beach
♥ glass
♥ the last lightning bug
♥ picking persimmons
♥ an ice-cold fizzy pop
♥ reading, again
♥ a book like an old friend
♥ remembering dreams in the middle of the day
♥ knowing i’ll be married in 6 months, 4 days
♥ the idiosyncrasies of a dog

This is my friend Jolene and I, getting ready for the GodlyGals podcast. We decided to do a little recording before the show.

Subjects include: why we love Friday Night Lights, our nerdiness, high school, and a disgusting trip to the vet. Click through to hear our shenanigans.

(more…)

It occurred to me this morning that I am on a mission every Saturday (since my weekdays are really out of my control) the best day it can be. My body will no longer allow me to sleep in past eight o’clock in the morning, and most Saturdays I am awake before then unless I’m feeling under the weather.

This day is no different. I woke up, sufficiently rested after my average of 3 rollovers during the hour before I really wake up. I sleep like a dead person all through the night and then in the morning I have to change my position as I fight to stay asleep.

When I turned over this morning to get up, the clock glared at me with its wide, red eyes:

7:38

Are you kidding me?

He wasn’t, so I tossed the covers back and got out of bed. It’s always interesting to me to watch how people wake up and what they do. Not that I’ve had the opportunity to see many people in their waking up stage of the day. My immediate family, sure, my grandparents, some of my cousins (including the one who can’t keep her elbow out of my side), and a few friends and roommates. Not really Kevin, but kinda, since he spent Christmas with my family last year and someone woke him up about 2 hours before he was ready. Sorry, dude. That’s how we roll.

But it is interesting to see people as they shrug off sleep and open up to the morning. Some are quiet, some are moody, some, like myself, are pretty awake immediately and once I get around I am ready to go for the day. Coffee helps, of course, but I’m generally a pleasant person in the morning. Three o’clock in the afternoon is a different story because by then I need a nap. Bad.

I let puppy out of her crate in the garage and open the door that leads into the backyard.

“Go pee pee,” I say two or three times. She finally gets it, but she would rather play and we spend some time at the door with her slapping at my pink Croc, a shoe that does not offer the necessary amount of coverage a person needs on this sort of morning.

After she is fed and medicated I come back inside to check my email and get the day going. Something is calling me from the kitchen though and, surprise, it’s not coffee this morning. No, today I head to the fridge and pull out a pint of heavy cream, a measuring cup and spoon, cocoa from the cabinet, along with some cayenne pepper, Splenda, and some canned whipped cream. That, my friends, is a recipe for some tasty low-carb (high fat, high calorie, sugar-free, artery clogging) hot chocolate that cannot be beat. I admit that the cayenne does sound a little crazy and it’s not in the recipe, but I like the added spice. Ever seen Chocolat? Well, me neither, at least not the whole thing (I’ve never made it to the part where Johnny Depp appears…I think I must have been watching it on Pay-Per-View at my parents’ house and of course we didn’t buy it, so it got cut off in the middle somewhere) but I know she added spice to her chocolate.

This morning (and the past few) I am enjoying:
♥ hot chocolate
♥ the quiet
♥ the warmth of this house
♥ sunlight streaming in through a pair of white french doors
♥ the possibility of the day
♥ “brand new, with no mistakes in it”
♥ indentity by milan kundera
♥ wreck this journal by keri smith (and now, me)
♥ Friday Night Lights
♥ knowing next week exists and will be here soon
♥ the winter here’s cold…and bitter, it’s chilled us to the bone